Australian Senator Demands Sweeping Review Of All Anime For "Child Exploitation"

Australian Senator Stirling Griff railed against anime in an impassioned Senate speech on Wednesday, calling for a sweeping review of the genre in the country for inappropriate material including child exploitation.

“The rape of children is abundant in manga, like the series Goblin Slayer, which, in my office, we showed to a number of people today and they were absolutely horrified,” said Griff, who also cited Sword Art Online, Eromanga Sensei and No Game No Life as anime with particularly egregious content.

Australia has strict policies against child exploitation, as it is illegal to produce, possess, or distribute material of a minor that is pornographic or abusive. Griff stated:

The law in Australia is very clear. The Commonwealth Criminal Code prohibits the sale, production, possession and distribution of offensive and abusive material that depicts a person, or is a representation of a person, who is or appears to be under 18. It is unambiguous. It beggars belief how it passed through the classification board who, in their decision report, provide justification for scenes including ‘upskirting’ as comedic. There is nothing funny about it. It is repellent. The series should have been denied classification and should be banned.

He went on to state:

I'm calling for the immediate review of all Japanese anime movies currently accessible in Australia. I am also seeking the banning of particular titles I have referred to and, indeed, any other anime and manga featuring the abuse and exploitation of children, very much as a matter of urgency.

Buzzfeed reporter Cameron Wilson obtained a copy of the motion Griff sent to the Senate, which calls on the Federal Government to review how its classification board reviews anime and calls for the removal of "child abuse material."

hate to be a wet blanket but according to his staffers Senator Stirling Griff hasn't called for a review of every anime and manga in Australia (despite appearing to do so in his speech?)

Here's the motion which just passed the Senate & part of his letter to Peter Dutton pic.twitter.com/eUZuEScnEp

— cmwlsn (@cameronwilson) February 26, 2020

The full transcript of Griff's speech can be found on Kotaku.